Apparatus for cleaning paint roller covers



April 1, 1969 D. R. ALLEN APPARATUS FOR CLEANING PAINT ROLLER COVERS Filed Sept. 20. 1965 Fl 6 3 INVENTOR Dewey R. Allen wig, ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,436,264 APPARATUS FOR CLEANING PAINT ROLLER COVERS Dewey R. Allen, P.O. Box 797, 1518 Fordham, Perryton, Tex. 79070 Filed Sept. 20, 1965, Ser. No. 488,493 Int. Cl. B08b 1/04, 3/08 U.S. Cl. 13433 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to an improvement in the method and apparatus for cleaning paint roller covers used for the roller application of paint.

Heretofore paint roller covers have either been clean d by hand or attached to some device for cleaning the same which is immersed in a solvent retained in a container. Many disadvantages are inherent in this method of cleaning paint roller covers. It is necessary to remove all of the paint from the cover to prevent the same from hardening on drying and to prevent the contamination of a different color paint. When a solvent retained in a container is usedthe paint roller cover shares the paint with the solvent and the entire quantity of solvent has to be discarded, and the roller cover is never completely free of the original paint.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus that will remove the paint from the cover in such a manner as to use the minimum amount of solvent.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a device for the removal of paint from paint roller covers that has connected therewith a disposable container.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a device having the minimum number of working parts that require the minimum amount of cleaning of these arts.

p The various features of novelty which characterize this invention are pointed out with particularly in the claims annexed to and forming part of this specification. For a better understanding of the invention, however, its advantages and specific objects obtained with its use, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which have been illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an expanded view showing the elements in their relationship to each other.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view on line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view, partially in section, showing the assembled spindle and roller cover.

FIG .4 is a perspective view, partially in section, of the device in its assembled position.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view, similar to FIG. 2, of a modification of the spindle.

Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows the paint roller cover 10, the accessory or spindle 11 and the chuck drill 12.

The paint roller cover 10, shown in FIG. 1, is removed from the paint roller in an impregnated condition and it is usually saturated with an oil or water-base paint. Paint is not only present in the outer portion of the cover 3,436,264 Patented Apr. 1, 1969 "ice but a certain quantity is also present in the interior bore 13 of the cover.

The accessory or spindle 11, shown in section in FIG. 2, comprises a shaft 14 having a head portion 15 on one end thereof with a washer 16 behind the same. The other end of the shaft 14 has the threaded portion 17 thereon. A nut 18 is threadedly retained on the threaded portion of the shaft 14 and has a washer 19 thereon behind the nut 18. Between the washer 19 and the washer 16 is an expandable hollow plastic body 20. This body may be expanded by tightening the pack nut 18 on the threaded portion 17 of the shaft 14 and forcing the washer 19 towards the washer 16. This permits the ready adjustment of the spindle 11 to fit the bore 13 in the roller cover 10. The threaded portion 17 of the shaft 14 is mounted in the chuck 21 of the drill 12. The spindle is then inserted into the bore 13 of the paint roller cover 10 and acts as a piston to force fluid paint therefrom. A disposable container 22 is then placed over the roller cover, as shown in FIG. 4, and the drill is activated to cause the rotation of the spindle with its associated paint roller cover 10. After the paint roller cover has been rotated the paper container 22 is discarded, the roller cover is saturated with a solvent, either water for a water-base paint or the usual solvent for an oil base paint, and a new disposable container placed therearound and it is rotated a second time. This frees the paint roller cover from the solvent and its associated paint.

A modification of the spindle 11 is shown in FIG. 5, having the same type shaft 25 with a head 26 on the end thereof, with a washer 27 behind the same. The nut 28 is mounted on the threaded portion 29 of the shaft, as shown. Adjacent to the nut 28 is the washer 30. Between the washers 27 and 30 is a compressible soft rubber body 31. End portions 32 and 33 of this body are of greater diameter than the central portion 34. This body can be compressed and expanded by the tightening of the nut 28 on the threaded portion 29 of theshaft 25. Both the device shown in FIG. 2 'and the device shown in FIG. 5 has a continuous surface which may be cleaned by simply wiping with a paper towel or cloth and there is no opening therein to permit paint to enter within the spindle and require this assembly to be cleaned.

The advantages of this device are, the easy expansion of the spindle to accommodate the bore of the paint roller cover and the use of a disposable container, such as a paper bag, or if a cardboard box is desired, the spindle with the paint roller cover thereon when attached to the chuck and drill is simply held within the bag or box.

The amount of solvent that is used on the paint roller cover is held to a minimum and the main supply of solvent is not contaminated by the immersion of the device within a container filled with solvent.

One of the principal advantages of this device is the fact that the end of the shaft remote from the drill or other means of rotation is not pivoted, that is, does not fit into a bearing, but rotates freely to throw the paint and the solvent from the cover by centrifugal force. Heretofore, devices of this type have all fit within a bearing retained within a container, usually made of metal which received the paint from the paint roller cover. This required the cleaning of the container after the cleaning of the paint roller cover. The present device does not require the cleaning of any container as the paint is thrown into a disposable container. This permits an inexpensive assembly of parts to produce a result heretofore requiring an expensive metal container to receive the paint. The spindle itself, having a continuous surface, is easily wiped off with a paper towel after use and can be carried from one job to the next with a minimum of inconvenience.

While in accordance with the provisions of the Statutes there has been illustrated and described the best form of embodiment of this invention now known, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes may be made in the form of the apparatus disclosed without departing from the spirit of this invention as set forth in the appended claims, and that in some cases certain features of this invention may be used to advantage without a corresponding use of other features.

What is claimed is:

1. A paint roller cover cleaning device comprising a shaft which is threaded near one end and carries a head at the other, a nut on the threaded end of the shaft, and a radially expandable hollow body mounted on said spindle between said head and nut so as to be radially expanded when said nut is moved toward said head, said body having a circumferentially continuous cylindrical surface adapted to wipe the entire inner surface of said cover as said device is inserted axially into said cover. 2. A paint roller as claimed in claim 1 comprising a first washer mounted on said spindle between said nut and said hollow body and a second Washer mounted on said spindle between said hollow body and said head.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,542,491 2/1951 Engel 13433 X 2,830,383 4/1958 Weil 3458 MORRIS O. WOLK, Primary Examiner.

J. D. OLSEN, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 

